Kindergarten Registration Starts Today!
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We are thrilled to have the Class of 2033 join us for an exciting journey! Kindergarten is a time of personal adjustment and a stepping out beyond the family to the wider world.
Beginning today, Friday, May 1, parents may register their children for kindergarten for the 2020-2021 school year. Mark your calendars for Virtual Kindergarten Roundup on May 5! Each elementary school will host a Facebook Live session so parents can learn more about what to expect in kindergarten at their school. Check the website for the school your child will attend for the time of the Facebook Live broadcast.
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FAQ Video for Incoming Kindergarten Parents
The elementary principals worked together to determine information to include in a Frequently Asked Questions video for all incoming kindergarten parents. Enjoy this message hosted by Chapel Hill Elementary School Principal LaTonya Jones.
For more information on the kindergarten registration process, click
here
.
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High Schools Rank High in Nation, State
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All high schools in Douglas County earned a spot on the
U.S. News & World Report’s List of Best High Schools in America, which was released April 21, 2020. Chapel Hill High School, which ranked in the top 21% of the 418 schools that were ranked in Georgia, topped the list for Douglas County.
Chapel Hill, Douglas County and Alexander High Schools all ranked higher than any school in several surrounding counties, including Carroll, Paulding, Haralson, and Troup. Chapel Hill High School ranked higher than the city schools in Carrollton, Bremen and Marietta.
“I am extremely proud of the academic success of our high schools,” said Douglas County Superintendent Trent North. “The rankings are evidence that our teachers and administrators are moving in the right direction in regard to academic rigor and college and career readiness. It is encouraging to see our success in the rankings compared to other counties with great schools.”
Douglas County High School ranked in the top 30% in Georgia, and Alexander High School ranked in the top 35%. Nationally, Chapel Hill ranked in the top 21%, Douglas County in the top 31% and Alexander in the top 38%.
Schools are ranked based on six factors: college readiness, reading and math proficiency, reading and math performance, underserved student performance, college curriculum breadth and graduation rates. College readiness measures participation and performance on AP and IB exams.
U.S. News assigns a numerical rank to schools performing in the top 75%. Schools performing below the 25th percentile are listed alphabetically with a ranking range. To view the rankings, please click
here.
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Help Us Improve: Survey for Parents and Staff
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The Douglas County School System needs your feedback! We want to know how Digital Learning and the COVID-19 pandemic have affected you and your family. We will use this information to help us with our continuous improvement process. We hope that you will take the time to complete the survey by May 15, 2020.
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Local Company Led by DCHS Graduate Provides Face Shields for School System
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The Douglas County School System has ordered 1,000 face shields from West Georgia Cornhole, a Douglas County company based in Winston that manufactures and ships custom cornhole boards and other products all over the world.
The face shields will be used initially by school system employees in the school nutrition department who have worked throughout the pandemic to provide students with meals each week. Face shields will also be used by a variety of employees to keep staff and students safe. School nutrition employees used the extra layer of protection for the first time during the free meal distribution at 10 locations on April 29.
“The safety and protection of our employees and students is paramount,” said Superintendent Trent North. “We want to be prepared whenever our employees and students are back in our buildings. I was thrilled to partner with a local company owned by a graduate of the Douglas County School System to acquire the needed PPE.”
With the advent of COVID-19, Brandon Greba, owner of West Georgia Cornhole, shifted his core business to help tackle the pandemic. The company partnered with a medical tech company to mass produce personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers on the front lines. Greba’s masks and face shields are being used at doctors’ offices, Northside Hospital, WellStar Health System, and other healthcare facilities across Georgia and Florida.
Brandon graduated from Douglas County High School in 2002. After earning a degree from the University of West Georgia, he worked as an industrial supply sales manager before establishing West Georgia Cornhole in 2013. West Georgia Cornhole is a faithful Partner in Education (PIE) member for the Douglas County School System and an active member of the Douglas County Chamber of Commerce.
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Megan Danielle Advances on "The Voice"
Your Vote Will Help Our Hometown Girl Win It All!
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Douglas County High School senior Megan Danielle Phillips continues to wow audiences and judges with her heartfelt singing on "The Voice." She will perform again either May 4 or 5 and has a chance to win it all!
The show is on NBC at 8:00 both nights. Your vote will help put Megan over the top. Let's show our support, Douglas County!
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Winning State Awards from the Cafeteria at LSES
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Congratulations to Shirley Smith and Liliana Torres from our school nutrition department! Both of these outstanding employees won prestigious awards at the Georgia School Nutrition Association (GSNA) 2020 State Culinary Competition, which was held at Helms College in Macon on February 19.
Shirley Smith
Lithia Springs Elementary School
Ms. Smith, food service assistant at Lithia Springs Elementary, was named 2020 Employee of the Year for Georgia. Criteria for the award included customer service, creativity, commitment to professional development and dedication to the school nutrition profession.
Ms. Smith has worked for school nutrition in Douglas County since 2008. Previous honors include being named 2015-2016 Food Service Assistant of the Year for Douglas County; first place Culinary Winner in Georgia for 2015-2016 with her sweet potato muffin recipe; and first place winner in local “Unique Lunch Entrée” culinary competition in 2016-2017.
According to the person who nominated Ms. Smith for the award, Ms. Smith is well known within the school and community for her hard work, dedication and love for the students. She personally buys coats and gloves for students in need each year, and she can often be found in classrooms reading to children when she finishes work.
“Ms. Smith makes all of the children feel special by singing to each one on their birthday,” said Executive Director of School Nutrition Danielle Freeman. Winning her school’s Employee of the Month award from her peers, a first for an employee in the cafeteria, is further proof of the respect and admiration of her school community.
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Liliana Torres
Lithia Springs Elementary School
Ms. Torres has worked in the Douglas County School System since 2017 as a food service assistant at Lithia Springs Elementary. She won first place in the Georgia Culinary Competition for her Barbeque Flatbread Pizza recipe.
“I felt a little nervous when I went to the state competition because there were so many people with a lot more experience,” said Ms. Torres. “With this experience of winning, the only thing I can say is that when someone really wants to achieve something, they can find a way to do it, no matter what."
For a copy of the recipe to try at home, click
here
. Happy cooking!
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Sage Crystian:
Headed to Harvard
Sage Crystian, STAR Student at New Manchester High School, had many great choices when deciding where to attend college. After being accepted to 19 prestigious colleges and universities and offered around $1 million in scholarships, he wrestled with whether to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) or Harvard. He has decided to attend Harvard, where he will major in astrophysics.
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Harvard awarded Sage the Cooke College Scholarship, which goes to only 50 students across the U.S. The award, along with other scholarships, will allow Sage to attend the university without accruing any out-of-pocket expenses.
All of the STAR Students in Douglas County were honored by the Rotary Club at a luncheon on February 3. See the video for speeches by Sage and his STAR Teacher, Whitney Swift.
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Special Days Honoring Special People
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National School Principals' Day
Today is
a day of recognition for all elementary, middle and high school principals for their leadership and dedication to providing the best education possible for their students. Principals are the glue that has held their students, staff and families together during our time of digital learning. They are the cheerleaders for their schools.
School Lunch Hero Day
Today is a day to honor those who serve our students in the school cafeterias.
For many children, the cafeteria is the first place they enter on a school day. The lunch heroes have much more than nutrition on their minds. The well-being of every child is important to them. Since March 18, our school lunch heroes have been on the front lines preparing and packaging meals and serving children every Wednesday from 10 locations during our time away from school.
Teacher Appreciation Week
Next week is set aside to show love for our teachers. The best gift a teacher can receive is the gift of appreciation from their students and families in the form of notes, cards and other tokens of gratitude. Our teachers are the heartbeat of our schools.
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ESPLOST VI: Vote Will Take Place June 9
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Because of concerns about COVID-19, the presidential primary and ESPLOST vote, originally scheduled for March 24, have been postponed until June 9 and will be
held in conjunction with the general primary and nonpartisan general election.
Every voter in Douglas County has been mailed an absentee ballot application. Voters must return the application in order to receive an absentee ballot.
Voters may also vote in person. Early voting will resume on May 18, 2020, for the June 9 general primary.
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The Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (ESPLOST) is the penny sales tax that helps fund school improvements. ESPLOST can be renewed by voters through a referendum every five years and can be used to pay for capital projects (construction, buses, technology) or to retire debt.
We encourage all of our parents and employees to vote in this and all elections.
Please watch the video for a message from students at New Manchester High School.
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2020-2021 Full Calendar Available Now
The school calendar for 2020-2021 has been updated with dates for Sneak-a-Peek, High School Bash, report cards, graduations, half days and more. It is available on the website, or you may click below. Please keep in mind that modifications to the calendar may become necessary depending upon guidance from our health agencies in response to the current public health situation.
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Tips from Our School Social Workers
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The Douglas County School Social Workers serve as the link between the school, the home and the community. During the current COVID-19 pandemic, School Social Workers are available to connect students and their families to appropriate resources. For a list of social workers and contact information, please click
here
.
Tip of the Week: Applying for Benefits
During COVID-19: to apply for Food Stamps, Medicaid, Peachcare for Kids, Planning for Healthy Babies, or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) go to
www.gateway.ga.gov
.
For Douglas County residents in need of assistance with applying for Medicaid, contact:
Quiana Brimidge.
Office Cell: (404) 617-8902
Address: 6770 Selman Drive, Douglasville, GA 30134 (currently not in office)
For Spanish speaking Douglas County residence, contact:
Leisa Rodriguez
Office phone: (678) 385-1369. Leave a voicemail & call will be returned.
For Mental Health Emergencies, please contact 9-1-1 or the following:
Georgia Crisis and Access Line (GCAL):
1-800-715-4255
Suicide Prevention Lifeline:
1-800-273-TALK (8255)
Domestic Violence Statewide Hotline
1.800.33.HAVEN (1.800.334.2836)
To Report Child Abuse and Neglect
1-855-GA-CHILD (422-4453)
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Having attended all of her school years in the Douglas County School System (DCSS) – Sweetwater Elementary School, Factory Shoals Middle School and Lithia Springs High School – Madiena Asisullah is a great representation of DCSS. She is graduating next month from the nationally certified Lithia Springs High School STEM Academy with a concentration in biomed. She is a member of the National Spanish Honor Society and Beta Club and will graduate high school with her freshman year of college complete, having earned 33 dual enrollment credits at West Georgia Technical College. She plans to attend Georgia State University and major in nursing. Madiena speaks English, Farsi and Pashto and knows being trilingual will allow her to serve a broad range of people as a nurse. Congratulations, Madiena!
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Many events have been canceled or postponed to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Please click below for the most up-to-date information regarding event cancellations and other important information during our time of digital learning.
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Check out opportunities that are available in our area by clicking the Community Bulletin Board below!
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